Clumsy
by 00ratm
Summary: 7th year, AU. Romance&Angst. DM&OC. Read.Review & I'll try not to disappoint!
1. Clumsy

(A.N**&**Disclaimer) Harry Potter**&**company (characters, setting, themes) belong to **J.K. Rowling** & all chapter titles and lyrical subtitles belong to the **respective artist(s)** underneath them. This is **Fiction** & Jazz is an **original**.

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**Ch 1: Clumsy **

**"I'll be waving my hand, watching you drown"  
(Our Lady Peace)**

The cold, bitter rainfall was not lost upon her as she straightened her back against the old willow tree, hiding behind its looming branches. Staring absently at the castle in front of her, contemplating her next move as sleep threatened to overcome her with every slow breathe she drew. The night was captivating, amidst the rain and fierce wind, brilliant stars scattered the sky and offered some remnants of home. Tomorrow, she thought, tomorrow is it. As she silently lost the war with herself, she fell into a light sleep with a flicker of nervousness and hope hidden deep within the remains of her heart.

Jazz Bentley's eyes fluttered open uncertainly as she took in her surroundings. She had not said a word in twenty-eight days, causing the incoherent cursing under her breathe to sound ragged and tattered. "I'm late, I'm late…," she muttered as she stumbled forward past the branches that had offered so much protection the night before. The students of Hogwart's would be arriving that evening and Jazz had yet to find the Headmaster, a daunting task considering she was not a Hogwarts student and it is nearly impossible to get into the school. Someone once said that the most obvious solutions are often overlooked. Jazz decided to put this theory to the test. All previous attempts at getting past the gates surrounding the castle were a complete failure. She had gotten this far with all the ancient spells and charms she knew, but a wizard in the leagues of Albus Dumbledore was not easily outsmarted.

The pervious night's storm was still evident in the gray sky, bitter air and damp grounds. Jazz made her way up to the metal gates and prepared herself for the curse that would most likely come to any foolish person trying to sneak into the school by climbing the fence. However, in her logic, she had no other choice. She had tried everything from a simple unlocking spell, to the most complex disarming charms she knew. As her hand made contact with the cold steel, she hoisted herself up on the gate. There was no curse to greet her, so she took it as a sign to continue. Her muscles were sore from the long journey and physical activity made her body feel like it was ripping inside. She was at the top of the gate, straddling the bar and was ready to make the jump just as the faint rattling of the gates beginning to creek open and the sound of footsteps running towards the gate took her by surprise. This momentary lapse in judgment allowed the footsteps a split-second advantage; she reached into her back pocket to get her wand and instead fell to the floor with a THUMP. Jazz fell limp; her already tired body felt like it was being torn into bits and was slowly becoming numb to the pain. The numbness couldn't come fast enough. Her face collided with the damp grass and she was laying on the floor with two wands pointed at her back.


	2. Bring me to Life

(A.N**&**Disclaimer) Harry Potter**&**company (characters, setting, themes) belong to **J.K. Rowling** & all chapter titles and lyrical subtitles belong to the **respective artist(s)** underneath them. This is **Fiction** & Jazz is an **original**.

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**Ch 2: Bring Me to Life **

**"I've become so numb without a soul, my spirit sleeping somewhere cold"  
(Evanescence)**

She wasn't always like this. So different, so consumed by her fate. It's all she think about now, every breathe is took for the cause, it's every thought that passes through her head. She is one of the many who will die fighting for it, one of the many who will be forgotten after the war is fought and won and who will have left no imprint on this world. She doesn't remember exactly when she accepted her fate, it just happened. Her whole life she has been in training for the days when the people will need wizards and witches to help bring down the Dark Lord. She was marked and trained to be an unfortunate causality of war. Jazz has a talent though, something they never saw coming. Dabbling in the Dark Arts was nothing new to her; most of the magic she knows and uses today are variations of the Arts or are straight from the ancient fundamentals. Her teacher taught her to fight fire with fire, that was the only way to win. She belonged to a counter-part of the Order of the Phoenix, they were formed as the universal response to the threat that is the Dark Lord and his chosen company. Their department specialized in the training of double agents and experts in the dark arts. She was always partial to dark magic, and was tempted and to submit herself fully to it's wrath. She was one of the best, and appeared to be in total control and not seduced by the promises of power and greatness. Eventually they forgot one important fact about her. She was still human. Jazz came to Hogwarts because she didn't trust herself to be exposed to the Dark Arts without her safeguard. The feeling of being completely consumed and enslaved to the Dark Arts is the most bittersweet feeling in the world. It kills your humanity slowly, and before you realize what's happening to you, you've already become numb to the world. Her teacher, who also happened to be her only trusted friend, went missing exactly twenty-nine days ago and is presumed dead. Elizabeth served the Order for six years as a spy, and was never under suspicion until two months ago. Jazz came in search of Hogwarts the next day, a grueling and tiresome journey ensued. She became a different person, all the evidence of that is still present in her today. How was she supposed to tell them that?

"I will ask you again. There is more than you are divulging. This is your last chance to answer willingly, or you will be subject to much more convenient methods. Who are you?" A tall, crooked-nose man demanded, with an air of disdain and dullness in his voice.

Jazz never held much respect for authority, mainly because all her life she had been treated as an equal to her teachers and peers. She knew when respect was due, and this was not a time to be disrespectful. Telling two complete strangers the truth would not constitute as a wise, she wouldn't tell them what they wanted to hear. Not willingly, anyway. She wanted more than anything to give in, but she knew she couldn't. She was so tired, her heart was barely pulsating in her aching body, and she never felt so bleak before.

"Your silence has brought us to this, Lupin hand me the veritaserum"  
He training had touched upon fighting truth-telling potions several times because many of the people that worked there were either spies or extremists. Their duty was to help Harry Potter on his mission to defeat the Dark Lord. They were taught physical spells but more importantly mental skills, like Occlumency and Legilimency. To more extremes, they were also taught that death was better than surrendering, that you must chose death over betrayal. Her body and mind were not in any condition to fight the potion, and frankly, she felt like giving up. She had been taught to obey the Roman philosophy that death was better than betrayal, if anyone was trying to force you to divulge information or demanding obedience to a foreign ruler, you chose death. Her voice was scratchy and weak, but she managed to say in a quiet voice, "If you push my hand, I will play the roman fool." A calm silence followed her attempt at feigning innocence. She was just hoping to pass by as a normal student, who just registered late. It seems as though the man was considering her answer, and actually knew the underlying meaning in the choice of words. The other man was looking at her quite confused and looked as though he was about to say something just as the tall man interrupted him.  
"—don't make promises you won't keep"  
"Wouldn't dream of"  
"—I am still speaking. The Headmaster has agreed to let you stay here as a student of Hogwarts. You will be sorted privately with the Headmaster this evening, and for now, you are to stay on Hogwarts grounds. You can take care of all your arrangements in the 8 hours you have before the feast starts. Be at the main hall at exactly 6:00pm. Leave."

Her moment of shock passed as quickly as it came, she shot the two men an uncertain look and left the room. It hit her that she had no clue where she was going and that this place looked like it was very easy to get lost in for days. She walked back into the room right into a body and fell for the second time that day. An arm stretched out for her and Jazz took it gratefully. "Forgive Professor Snape; his social abilities were lost with his hygiene". She gave out a small smile and outstretched her hand, "I'm Jazz Bentley." "Professor Lupin. The Headmaster realized that you are new here and probably don't know your way around yet. This might be helpful." Professor Lupin handed her a scroll, more specifically a map. "All you have to do is tell it where you want to go and it will show you on the map how to get there." This was exactly what she needed, she had the worst directional skills, and considering she would be a 7th year and didn't want to seem like a lost 1st year. She wanted to blend in, make people forget that she was new and that it was unusual to get new students in their 7th year. "Thank you sir, this is going to be very useful", she said with a tired voice. "You sound exhausted, I won't keep you any longer. Have a good night Ms.Bentley", said Professor Lupin cheerily as he walked away. "You too Sir", she muttered to his retreating appearance.

The second Jazz came through the portrait hole, she collapsed on the nearest bed. She knew she needed to sleep, her body was screaming for it, but she hasn't been able to sleep in a long time. It would never come to her, and when it did, it was only for a few fleeting hours interrupted by thoughts and uncertainties. She threw the smallest of her bags onto the bed and emptied the contents over the black silk bedspread. She found her salvation, her peace in a small container by her wand. She consumed a fair amount, cleaned up her mess, and moments later the silence that was promised was delivered. She passed into an undisturbed sleep for the next seven hours.

Jazz awoke to the sound of loud, excited students in the many hallways of Hogwarts. She felt a little better now that she had rested, but her nerves were still on edge. She slowly walked to the mirror and examined her defeated appearance. The one-month journey to Hogwarts caused her nearly black eyes to sink back behind the bags underneath them. There was never any visible colour in her eyes, but now they looked as tired as she felt, the spark has been missing for a long time. Her black hair was tangled and messy, but was fixed to its original subtle waves with a simple charm. She was standing at 5'3 ½ and it didn't look like that was changing anytime soon. She slipped into her black shoes and took one final look at her appearance. She muttered a charm to make her look more composed and less like she just felt off a fence. It didn't do much to enhance her appearance, and on any other day, she would have tried to look good. However, she just couldn't bring herself to put forth the effort; I won't be here for long anyway, she reasoned. After throwing on a black cloak, she descended the stairs to the portrait hole. It was 5:50. It was funny to her that she worked so hard to get into this school, and now that she was in…her mind was working over-time thinking of ways to get out. She didn't have much experience with people her age, especially people who didn't have to worry about the same things as her. To tell the truth, she was scared, a bit insecure and nervous. She had met with the Headmaster, he was everything and more than what she pictured him to be. Gallant, noble, brilliant. He reminded her so much of Elizabeth, and that caused the occasional pang in her heart every time she saw him.

Jazz timidly approached the feast with hesitation. No one seemed to notice her yet. Part of her was relieved that she didn't stand out, but a much smaller part of herself wanted to be noticed by someone. She walked trough the beautiful wooden doors that led to the feast and vainly looked for a face she could recognize. She was humoring herself; that happened a lot these days. No one she knew would be at this school, and as much as she wanted a confidante, she knew know one would come. The room was undeniably breathtaking. She felt that if spoke too loud the whole place would come crumbling down around her. She knew it wouldn't, seeing as how the Great Hall was alive with hundreds of students talking animatedly to each other. She felt so out of place, as if she wasn't supposed to be here. She felt like it was all a mistake; that she shouldn't have come here for cover. There was only so much that they could do to protect the students, the rest was up to us. She was about to slip away, unnoticed by anyone, when she heard a voice, "Excuse me, are you lost?" It took her a moment to realize that she was talking to her, "Something like that." The red-headed girl laughed and replied, "You're in Gryffindor, right? You can sit here if you like". She hesitantly accepted her offer and took a seat. "I'm Ginny Weasely, and this here is Dean, Luna, and Hermione". "Jazz Bentley". Choruses of "nice to meet you" and "hellos" were thrown around and a few moments later, two other boys joined the table and were introduced to her as Ron and Harry. She recognized Harry immediately, but decided against pointing that out. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ron saying, "So what year are you in? Haven't seen you before"  
"Of course you haven't, she's new" Said the bushy haired girl, who she later learned was Hermione Granger.  
"You're a first year! You're a little big to be"  
"Ron"  
"—What? Oh no I didn't mean she...not that you're big, just that you're bigger—taller than a first year"  
She had to laugh at that. "It's okay Ron"  
He face turned to a remarkable shade of red and he mumbled something along the lines of "Sorry.  
"To answer you're question, I'm a seventh year transfer student from—" She was interrupted by the Headmaster, "Welcome, Welcome to another wonderful year full of magic here at Hogwarts school for Witchcraft and Wizardry." The fatigue from the previous nights was still present and her mind began to wander. She thought about home, and what was left of it. She thought about how she was going to handle her schoolwork considering she had never had homework and tests in her life. Mostly, she thought about if she was going to actually make a life for herself, so that way when she lost it…she would have no regrets. "Jazz, aren't you going to eat?" Ginny asked merrily. Jazz could tell that she was happy to be back at Hogwarts with her friends again, and she felt slightly envious of her new friend.  
She snapped out ofher daydreams, and realized that a plate of food was in front of me. "Yeah", she offered the first genuine smile she had given in a long time. It was nice to just sit there and pretend to be a normal person for a while.

"Night Jazz" replied a drowsy Ginny.  
Jazz closed the four posters around her and tried to go to sleep. She thought that the ease she felt now would be strong enough to guard her from the memories and problems that came to her throughout the day. She stared at the ceiling, a million thoughts running through her head. _Will I be able to keep up with the rest of the students? Will they notice I'm not a transfer student?_ The line of questioning got more intimate and personal as she thought about it. _Will I make it through the war? Will Harry fulfill the prophecy? Is Elizabeth alive?_ She couldn't deal with it any longer, she would go mad by the end of the night if she didn't do something. She reached for the potions bottle, took a sip of the contents, and faded into another calculated dreamless sleep.


	3. Animal I have Become

**Ch. 3: Animal I have Become **

**"So what if you could see The darker side of me? No one will ever change this animal that I have become"  
(Three day's Grace)**

Waking up every morning is just as tedious as falling asleep. Jazz had put a silencing charm around her posters so she wouldn't be disturbed, and this tactic landed her in quite the predicament. There was a note next to her bed apologizing profusely and saying that they tried there hardest to wake her up, but could not disable the charm. After hurriedly getting ready, throwing on her clothes, brushing her teeth (not necessarily in that order) Jazz made a dash out the portrait hole and into the empty hallway. She had no clue how to get to her first class. She had double Potions, and all she knew was that they were in the dungeons. She had went in a circle for a good twenty-five minutes before realizing she still had the map from Dumbledore. "Double Potions with Professor Snape." She said into the scroll. For a moment, nothing appeared to happen, but then the parchment became illuminated. Blotches of ink began to creep onto the scroll and began to draw out the directions to the dungeons.

She stopped in front of chained wooden doors. There was two choices. She could show up forty minutes late to class and face the embarrassment, or she could stay in the dungeons and hope she didn't get caught skipping class. The dungeons were cold, wet and dark. She made her choice and knocked on the door. "Enter" a bored voice called out. The heavy doors creaked open and she slowly walked in. "But, But, I want to work with him!" came a shrill voice, screaming at the top of her lungs.  
"Ms. Parkinson, I highly advise you take your seat. The class is uneven, and he is of great enough talent to work without a partner for the term. Longbottom on the other hand"  
A cluster of snickers following the Professors remark were heard as Jazz ventured further into the classroom.  
"Ah, and what do we have here? A late Gryffindor? I'm shocked," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The Slytherins let out an appreciative snicker and studied the new girl, their excitement growing at the new Gryffindor prospect to torment. Jazz stepped into the faint candle light and looked around the class. The shades were pulled half way and candles were flickering in every corner, dimly lighting the class. There were posters on the walls depicting potions accidents, probably there to make students more cautious. She turned to Snape, seeing if he was going to continue. "Dare I ask why you are late Bentley"  
"That's your choice to make…Sir"  
"Don't be smart Ms. Bentley, you're not fooling anybody here" Snape replied in the same bored tone that he always addresses people. She may have been tired, hungry and confused but she was never the kind of person who let someone walk all over them. Her expression took on a stony glare, and she looked at him pointedly. "So now, will you care to inform me, and the rest of the class, why exactly you are late"  
"I woke up late, forgot what day it was and got lost." Condescending laughs came from one half of the room, and she easily put on an indifferent face. She could hide her emotions well on most days, and today was one of them.

Snape whirled to the front of the class, "Ten points from Gryffindor for lateness, and another five for wasting class time with your tiresome excuses. Take a seat by Mr. Malfoy"  
Jazz looked up at the many faces of Hogwarts. She had no clue who Snape was talking about, so she just looked at him with the same bored expression he gave her and waited for him to elaborate.  
With an exasperated sigh he finally said, "The only student in this room without a partner Bentley, I didn't know they let anyone into Hogwarts these days"  
She gripped her wand in her pocket and remembered that assaulting a teacher was punishable by expulsion, so she subconsciously rolled her eyes and sauntered over to her desk. She threw her bag on the floor and took a seat by her partner and stared out the nearest window.  
"Seeing as how there is only 30 minutes left of class, you will not be able to finish the potion the class is working on." Snape said looking pointedly at her. "You are to be here after school for detention to complete this potion, don't be late. Make yourself scarce for the rest of the period."

Jazz sank lower into her seat and her eyes wandered around the room. Everyone seemed to be caught up in the assignment, so much so that they didn't notice her staring at them. Her direction shifted to the precarious potions master. She knew who he was, after all she and one other person are the only people besides the Order who knew were his loyalties lied, but of course she never told him that. Snape's game of espionage between the Order and the Death Eaters was highly respected at the institution and his brilliant work in the Dark Arts was studied in the highest regard. Elizabeth told her about him before, but nothing she said fit the contorted character Jazz had experienced. She felt her heart twinge at the thought of Elizabeth and quickly looked away. She quietly laughed to herself when she noticed the obvious affection between Ron and Hermione. She had never been in love, but she could tell that they had something most people would die for. Ron would coyly sneak glances at Hermione, thinking his affectionate looks were gone unnoticed by Hermione. But any outsider could tell that her cheeks developed pink patches every time and she had to stop herself from adding in the wrong ingredient to her perfect potion, twice.

She finally let her eyes rest on the person sitting next to her. Jazz couldn't deny that he was handsome, in a classical, aristocratic way. But something told her that he already knew how attractive he was. He had an air of coldness about him, and she took note that even the teacher held him in high regard. A feat which looked impossible to earn from Snape. He looked as if he had seen too much in his life, too soon. Jazz found her self staring at him in a way she never knew she could. His silvery blonde hair fell into his face as he was stirring the potion, and she noticed his intriguing, cold grey eyes. They held no emotion, no spark within them. If the eyes really are the window into the soul, you could conclude that he had lost his a long time ago.

She's staring at me, Draco resolved while adding a drop of bile into his potion. He noticed that her gaze was on him for over ten minutes and it was beginning to get to him. He had grown accustomed to many girls and Potter staring at him, and although it was bothersome and irritating at times, he never let it get to him. But this girl wasn't mentally undressing him as the others, she was studying him. She was analyzing him and it unnerved him, though he would never show it.

Jazz's mind was daring her to venture further, but she was interrupted by a slow drawl, "Enjoying the view?" Draco asked more as a statement than a question. She had been caught. She would have rathered that the floor swallow her whole than have faced him right then. He was staring at her, seeming like he enjoying making her squirm. What's wrong with me? She didn't know why her wit chose to abandon her at that moment, but she was at a loss for words. To make matters worse, Snape was watching the scene intently waiting to hear her response.

She blurted the first thing that came to mind, "Yeah, Nott's attempt at making wolfsbane is rather amusing, do they let anyone into Hogwarts these days?" Jazz said mocking Snape's attempt at discrediting her earlier. She must have said that a little too loud, because an appreciative laugh came from various corners of the class. Nott already looked like he was in a furious mood, and it wasn't the wisest decision to pick a fight with him. "What did you say?" came his gruffy voice, Jazz resolved to remain silent and challenged him with a glare. "Diffindo", shouted Nott, she barely had time to react. "Protego," she pulled her wand out of her pocket. The guy actually tried to hex me! She knew she shouldn't have ,but she couldn't stop herself, "Expelliarmus!" She thought about the beginning of class and decided he need to be taught a lesson, Furnunculais! "WHAT'S ON MY FACE! And WHAT am I wearing!" came his terrified response, his declaration was met with uncontrollable laughter, with students on the floor trying to contain them selves. Nott had boils on every inch of his face, was wearing a pink leotard, complete with a matching tutu and dangling from the ceiling. Apparently, Professor Snape didn't find it as amusing as Jazz did. Upon realizing that it was a non-verbal spell, Snape turned to Jazz with a callous look and said, "Reverse it now." She didn't have to be told twice, considering she just assaulted a student in his house, he looked like he would punish her to the fullest extent. "Finite incantatem furnunculais", she muttered waving her wand over Nott's body. Nott came tumbling to the ground, back in his school robes and the boils disappearing slowly. "Ms. Bentley, you have just cost your house another thirty points and an extra hour on your detention. I suggest you leave my class, now." His voice was low, but the whole room managed to hear him and went silent. Jazz got her things and slammed the door behind her. She wordlessly made her way to her next class, and for the rest of the day, she avoided any interaction with the Slytherins.

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_"Morsmodre." A shadowy stream emerged from the tip of the Dark Lord's wand, covering Draco's forearm in a familiar darkness. A searing pain tore through his muscles, he wanted to scream but kept himself from showing any emotion that would lead to death or excruciating torture. The Dark Lord and a circle of prestigious Death Eaters, among them his father, watched with pride as the Dark Mark became emblazoned unto his flesh, a permanent reminder of his betrayal._

"All potions on my desk. You may go." Professor Snape's dreary voice rang trough the classroom, awaking Draco from him memories in a cold sweat. Thoughts of the summer's events haunted him occasionally, especially on days like this when his forearm was burning. Draco swiftly strolled out of the dungeons, his robes flowing after him, he had to get away to think. "Don't forget you're on duty tonight Malfoy!" he heard Granger shout after him.

The chilly weather and slight rain was perfect for him, not many students would come outside and he could be alone. Draco was always a private person, but now his soul deserted him as well, in a dark foreign place. He had become so accustomed to the cold at home, and after the only warmth in his life died…he changed, more willing to do the cruel assignments the Dark Lord would surely have for his favorite Death Eater. His mind strayed to thoughts of his mother, and her untimely death at the hands of her husband. The look on her face when she passed would be with Draco until the day he met his own death. She had looked at him with all the love that was missing the past few years of his life, and what killed him the most was that she had died thinking her pleas to Draco to refuse the Dark Lord had fallen on deaf ears. Sometimes he thought that submitting to the Dark Lord would be easier than trying to fight it, and since the only person in his life who ever supported the latter decision was gone, he didn't know who his loyalties were with. He violently shook his head of the tiresome thoughts and let the rain delicately fall on his face as he looked to the sky. He hated thinking about the past, it would drive him to madness thinking about everything that had gone wrong.

He cleared his mind and thought about his present problem, the lingering pain in his arm. Draco resolved that he would speak with Professor Snape about something that might help the pain, the last thing he needed was to be under suspicion for conspicuously wincing in pain every time the mark burned his flesh. He would go speak with Snape after the potions masters was done with all his classes, and before the numerous detentions Snape handed out to Gryffindors. This wasn't a topic he wanted overheard by anyone.

That's when she became envisioned in his head. She was hardly the most beautiful girl who had ever been in Draco's company, but her exquisite features were nothing to complain about. Jazz Bentley, he whispered in his thoughts. He had silently watched her exchange with Nott, and though he deserved it, he knew she would eventually pay for crossing Nott. She was shorter than him, with beautiful black hair and dark complexion that made her look somewhat exotic. He hadn't noticed any colour in her eyes at first, but that was because she didn't have any. Like her hair, her eyes were pure black. He found himself intrigued and his mind was willing to tirade a bit further when Draco's conscious stepped in. Enough, he mentally scolded himself. But these thoughts weren't as easily forgotten as the previous ones. Draco didn't need a reason to care about something, and decided that one kiss, that would probably end up meaning nothing to him, was sure to get this fleeting emotion out of him. Seeing her after her detention with Snape would be easy, since he already had to monitor the corridors that night. His mind was finally at some sort of ease and he stared out to the open Quidditch field. Draco let his eyes close, his burdened heart open, and sat in silence as he let a short-lived moment of vulnerability consume him before standing up and putting on the all too familiar façade.

Jazz slowly made her way out her detention with Professor Snape ready to face the reality that she was wandless, without the map and a bit on edge. The map had been her fault, she had not brought anything to the detention, forgetting that her detention wasn't going to be served in the same classroom she had finally gotten accustomed to going to. The wand was Snape's fault. The faculty believes that she might have had something to do with the boils that appeared on Pansy Parkinson during lunch. Jazz truthfully denied having anything to do with that, but it was apparently protocol. They would take her wand and perform various spells to determine the last few spells that had left the wand. She was now in a dark, wet dungeon with no wand, and no hope of getting back to the tower. This led to the "on edge" feeling. As Jazz passed the Dungeon doors for the third time, she let out an exasperated sigh. She was lost, she knew it and what was worse was that she felt like some one had been following her. She was hoping it was just paranoia, because she had heard about the "unusual" phenomenon's that happened in the dungeons. As if on cue, she felt the tip of a wand pressed against her back roughly and a dry voice whispered into her ear, "Incarcerous." Suddenly ropes appeared out of the wand and roughly wound Jazz at her wrists and legs, taking special care to double knot itself. She clumsily turned around and fell on her side, she looked at her attackers. It was Nott, Parkinson and two other wizards she did not recognize. Jazz let out a sigh of relief, they weren't capable of any real damage. This act only proved to entice Nott as he raised his voice, "Not the usual response we get, but I'll see to it you learn your lesson harder than the rest." Jazz realized that she was indeed in a compromising position. She was wandless, out numbered by a group of people who would have no problem making her disappear for a few days, and tied up in the most secluded area of the castle where only Slytherins pass. Jazz knew it would be wishful thinking that someone would actually find her.  
"What should we use on this one Pansy"  
"Oh, I don't know. Something new. How about the one you used on Longbottom last week"  
"Recovery is too fast. I want something that will linger for awhile. To get the message across."

Unbeknownst to them, as they continued to banter, Draco watched the scene unfold silently from the darkened corner. He didn't know what was coming over him, why he felt the need to intervene before they had their fun. He was used to them bringing anyone who was unfortunate enough to cross them badly, and usually he would look the other way since he was the only one who patrolled these areas. What startled him was the insuppressible need to defend her, for once in his life, he gave into his impulses.

Jazz looked up at them, starting to get a little frightened. Her anxiety heightened when she realized what curse they deemed worthy enough to use on her, and it by the looks on their faces, it looked like she might be spending a good week in the Infirmary. That's when she noticed his pale features that were contrasted by the shadowy darkness he was enveloped in, he had been watching. She looked directly into his eyes, searching for any indication he might help her. She found nothing, he had the usual infuriating impassive face, like he didn't care about a thing in the world. Jazz rolled onto her back and prepared herself for the vengeful Slytherin's wrath. She concluded that Nott couldn't do any serious harm, and might as well let them have their fun and get them back later. She looked at the stone ceiling and starting counting the numbers across, waiting for them to make a decision. When she got to twenty eight, she stole a glance at Draco. All of their backs were to him, as he approached, and Jazz let out the breathe she had been involuntarily holding. "I apologize for the interruption—" he began to say, unaffected.  
"Malfoy! Just in time," Nott began, "Hey Draco", Pansy purred in her best bedroom voice. "Filch is on his way down, the last thing needed is having my beaters suspended for minor misunderstandings like this." Draco lied, narrowly staring in the direction of her figure. "Yeah, Yeah. We're going up now, come on guys."—Nott said sounding disappointed. He turned to Jazz—"Next time"  
Draco felt the slightest wave of relief wash over him as they took his lie and believe it. It was quite believable because Filch likes to come down here once in a while.

When the dungeon doors slammed behind the retreating figures, Draco pointed his wand at Jazz and quietly said, "Finite incantatem." The ropes began to loosen, unravel to the ground, and eventually disintegrated into the air. An uneasy silence passed through the room, both figures unaware of what to say or do next. Draco looked at her, at a loss for a plausible explanation. He considered leaving her there, but he couldn't bring himself to desert her. His stomach began to feel an unfamiliar unrest as he looked at her. He wanted to lose control, get lost in the feeling. He wanted to say something, explain what he was feeling, but no sound would escape his lips. So he just stared, his gaze tore through her and she stepped back, unsure of what to do. He did the only thing that made sense at the moment, he went to do what he came here for. Draco stepped forward so she was in between him and the cold dungeon wall. Jazz could feel the cold cement wall behind her, sending chills down her spine and at the same time, the heat radiating from him as his body was pressed up against hers. She couldn't bring herself to look up into his eyes. She weakly held her gaze straight ahead at his collar bone, the intensity caused a surge of electricity pulsate through her body as she straightened her back against the stone wall causing more friction between them. He could sense her apprehension and nervousness, her breathing had become shallow. Draco seized her moment of vulnerability and captured her in a desperate, clumsy kiss.

For a moment, Jazz didn't know how to react. It was her first kiss. She was a bit embarrassed, confused but never felt so blissful before. She thought about how horrible it must be for him, because she didn't know what she was doing. A sudden realization of the throbbing pain in her arms brought her back to reality. As her hands began to lose their feeling, she managed to weakly pull away and breathlessly whisper, "Draco—Draco, you're hurting me." She opened her eyes and looked up at his face, trying to read his expression. Draco's eyes traveled down her arms, sending another chill down her spine, and rested on her lightly bruised wrists that were being gripped by his hands. He let go abruptly and looked away. "I-I'm sor—" he began but quickly cleared his throat and turned his back to Jazz. "Two lefts and a right" were his only words as he swiftly made a move for the chamber doors and disappeared.


End file.
